Xie Zhengming listened at ease as Qin Duan eloquently expounded upon his statecraft strategies. In his heart, he sighed; no wonder the emperor later appointed Qin Duan as Prime Minister. His Duan’er truly possessed the talent to govern a nation, and in their past life, it was entirely he who had delayed Qin Duan.
“If it could be what? Duan’er, speak your mind without reservation.”
Qin Duan pinched the sleeve of his inner garment and said with a resolute look:
“Ah-Zheng, since ancient times, meritorious ministers have faced perilous fates and rarely found a good end. I know you are unwilling to let go of the status you carved out through spear and blade, but keeping company with a monarch is like sleeping with a tiger; you must remain vigilant. If the Emperor wishes to secure his reign, both civil governance and military might are indispensable. If you can surrender your military command and instead become a civil official to share the Emperor’s worries in governing the country, perhaps you can live in peace for a hundred years.
“Ah-Zheng, you need not worry. You are naturally a talent in both civil and military arts. Besides… besides, with me by your side to assist you, serving as a civil official will still earn you the Emperor’s heavy trust.”
Xie Zhengming understood. So Qin Duan was worried that he could not let go of his present fame, wealth, and power, and that his desires would eventually spiral out of control, angering the Emperor, or that holding military power would arouse the Emperor’s suspicion, leaving him without a peaceful end.
Indeed, Qin Duan understood him. In his past life, wasn’t he just like this, unable to let go of military power, consumed by arrogance and desire, and losing his original intent?
In his past life, he lost Qin Duan. This time, how could he possibly repeat the same disastrous path?
Xie Zhengming stared at Qin Duan in silence for a long while. Qin Duan’s heartbeat grew increasingly erratic within his chest; he did not know whether Xie Zhengming could take such candid advice to heart. He even felt a bit of regret, seeing how close Xie Zhengming had been to him today, he had grown carried away. Yet these were words he had long wanted to say. If he didn’t say them today, he feared that if Xie Zhengming truly provoked the dragon’s wrath in the future, it would be too late for regrets.
After pondering for a moment, Xie Zhengming made a decision in his heart.
Qin Duan possessed boundless talent, fully worthy of being the top scholar in the imperial examinations. Yet because of his status, fearing it would draw criticism, he had never entered official service. Xie Zhengming knew it was because of him that Qin Duan, despite holding world-shaking talents, had been so obscured and unappreciated.
In this lifetime, he wanted no high and lofty status; military power, official rank, wealth, he could give up all of it. He only hoped that this time, he could dutifully and honestly guard Qin Duan well, allowing the two of them to steadily grow old together in peace.
He wanted Qin Duan to appear before others with dignity, to do the things he longed to do, and to fully unleash his ambitions. Whatever Qin Duan wanted, he would do his utmost to help him achieve. He knew the Emperor would not allow the two of them as a married couple to hold high office and heavy authority in the imperial court at the same time, but it didn’t matter. Even if he had to trade his own future for Qin Duan’s, he wouldn’t mind at all.
“Duan’er, are you hoping that I will submit a memorial to the Emperor to restore the coastal ports?”
Seeing that Xie Zhengming’s expression showed nothing unusual, Qin Duan continued:
“Mhm, restoring the coastal ports is the first step. Although the Emperor has recently ascended the throne and all the territory of Daxing is now under His Majesty’s control, the common people cannot yet fully trust the new court. Furthermore, the previous dynasty’s remnants hiding among the populace will desperately seize upon any ripple of disturbance from the court to agitate the masses.
“Currently, the most important task is to pacify the populace: internally, implement state policies that allow the people to rest and recover; externally, strengthen diplomatic relations, elevate the prestige of our Daxing, gain the support of neighboring countries, and restore tributary exchanges. By doing so, public sentiment will stabilize and the nation’s fortune will flourish.”
Qin Duan’s discourse shocked Xie Zhengming to his core, filling him with profound respect. He had always known that Qin Duan was widely read and possessed peerless talent, but he had never seen him speak with such fluency and vision. In his heart, he sighed: truly, Qin Duan ought not to be confined to the tiny bounds of a back courtyard; he belonged before the imperial throne, fully displaying his statecraft and ranking among the chief ministers!
Having finished his speech, Qin Duan noticed Xie Zhengming staring at him without blinking, which suddenly made him bashful. He gave a light cough, resumed his usual shy demeanor, and said:
“I’m sorry, I got a bit carried away. This is just my humble opinion, and it might differ from your thoughts. If you think it’s wrong, then, then just pretend I never said anything.”
Instead, Xie Zhengming hurriedly said:
“How could it be wrong? It is right, exceptionally right! Duan’er, how did I ever manage to win such a treasure to be my wife? Fortunately, I made my move early back then; otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the ability to make a top scholar into my wedded partner. By then, I probably would have had to fight tooth and nail against all those young maidens.”
With his face flushing red, Qin Duan rebuked him with a reproachful glare:
“What nonsense are you uttering? I am no top scholar, and what young maidens are you talking about?”
With a cheeky smile, Xie Zhengming reached out to lift Qin Duan’s chin and said:
“With your learning and talent, if you were to take the imperial examinations, wouldn’t you capture first place in a single stroke? As for the young maidens, aren’t those the ones who gazed at you with such tender affection on the street just now?”
The more Qin Duan listened, the more he felt this man had completely lost his seriousness. He simply lay down, pulled the quilt over his head, and prepared to sleep. Yet suddenly, he heard the man speak in a solemn tone:
“Duan’er, I am serious. The Emperor is holding a special imperial examination this year; why don’t you participate as well? When that time comes, you won’t need to submit your statecraft strategies to the Emperor through me. Over the years, how many plans have you contributed to help our army achieve victory? You deserved to be rewarded for your contributions. Yet for my sake, you willingly chose to remain an invisible, behind-the-scenes military strategist. That is unfair to you.”
Qin Duan pulled back the quilt, only to run into a pair of reddened eyes. When had Xie Zhengming ever easily shed tears in front of him? What on earth was wrong with him today?
“Ah-Zheng, what is wrong with you today? Is there something you’re keeping from me?”
Xie Zhengming shook his head in denial:
“N-no. Duan’er, I am serious. Please think it over carefully. I truly do not care about merits and peerage; I only want you to freely and joyfully unleash your talents. As for myself, I have already achieved all my ambitions and have no regrets left.”
Qin Duan gave a soft sigh.
“Me? Actually, I am a person without grand ambitions. My greatest wish is to wait until you retire from official service, and then live with you as a pair of celestial immortals, indulging our passions in the mountains and rivers.”
Xie Zhengming’s heart sank. In his previous life, Qin Duan had clearly gone to the imperial presence to self-recommend and become Prime Minister; why was he saying otherwise now? Was he still unwilling to trust him?
Xie Zhengming sighed softly and lay down beside him as well.
“Very well, let’s sleep first.”
Xie Zhengming was indeed exhausted. When he suddenly awoke to find himself reborn three years into the past, before he had received the imperial decree to marry Princess Yan Ning, before Qin Duan had become Prime Minister, and before they were wed, he hadn’t wanted to leave Qin Duan’s side for even a single moment all afternoon, terrified that all of this was merely a dying flash of lucidity in a dream. Despite his profound mental fatigue, he dared not close his eyes.
It was not until the second half of the night, while gripping Qin Duan’s hand, that Xie Zhengming finally drifted into a hazy slumber.